


It's behind you!

by InvestigativeBanana



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, berena - Freeform, pantomime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 08:36:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8137466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvestigativeBanana/pseuds/InvestigativeBanana
Summary: There is a charity raffle at Holby City hospital, and the prize is two tickets to the Christmas pantomime... and Serena has bought a raffle ticket.





	

The first of December, or in Serena's words: when festive hell breaks loose.

It's 8:30am when Serena Campbell walks through the doors of Holby City hospital and into Pulses to retrieve her morning caffiene shot.

"Here you are Ms Campbell, black no sugar."

"Thank you." Serena turns to leave but is stopped by the barista.

"Oh before you go, we have a raffle for a local charity. Would you like to buy a strip? It's only £1!"

Serena smiles. "Of course."

She takes the piece of paper and heads towards the lift to start her ten hour shift.

\---

"Morning!" Bernie said as she walked into their shared office.

"Morning." Serena echoed. "...what on earth is on your head?!"

Bernie reached up to remove the offending garment and hid it behind her back. "Nothing..."

"Berenice Griselda Wolfe, if you are prancing around my ward wearing a santa hat on the bloody first of this godforsaken month, then I will have to report you to Hanssen!"

Bernie raised an eyebrow. "Report me for what exactly?"

 _For being adorable in that stupid fluffy hat._ "There's still twenty-four days until Christmas! You're allowed to wear it on Christmas eve and not a day sooner!"

"Yes, Fräulein!" Bernie did a little mock salute and sat down at her desk. She logged into her PC and looked at Serena's desk while she waited for her screen to load. "What's that?"

Serena looked up from her paperwork. "Hm?"

"That." Bernie pointed at a long blue piece of paper.

"Oh! It's just a ticket for the charity raffle they're doing at Pulses. I have numbers 151-155 I believe."

"I didn't think pantomimes were your thing?"

"Pantomimes?"

"The prize if you win is two tickets to the Christmas pantomime at the theatre, specifically Cinderella."

"Could be worse I suppose! Are you a fan?"

Bernie shrugged her shoulders. "I went a few times with Charlotte and Cameron when they were younger and I had some leave around Christmas."

"Well if I win then you're coming with me!"

"Not Jason?"

Serena snorted. "He would sooner miss an episode of World's Strongest Man!"

"I see. Well I'll hold you to that, Scrooge!"

Serena just rolled her eyes.

\---

Raf, Fletch, Bernie, Serena, and Morven were hovering around the nurses station when a tannoy anouncement sounded.

"Hello Holby City! It is time to announce the results of the charity raffle! Thank you so much to everyone that contributed, but the winner of the two pantomime tickets is... number 259!"

Bernie looked at Serena who had a slight look of disappointment in her eyes.

"Oh well, at least I contributed to a good cause." Serena half smiled and went to talk to a patient, but before she could move, Bernie's hand was on her arm.

"Let's go anyway?" Bernie blurted out.

Serena's very much aware of the heat radiating from Bernie's hand onto her arm and it takes her a few seconds to register that she needs to reply.

"I'd love to." Serena mirrors Bernie's wide smile as her heart flutters at the thought of spending an evening with Bernie in a non-work setting.

\---

Two weeks later, and Serena is finishing her Friday shift on AAU. She leaves the building at 5pm, giving her two hours to get ready before she meets Bernie at 7.

As she walks to her car her phone vibrates.

**-Excited, Ms Campbell?**

**+Of course, Ms Wolfe.**

**-I'll see you outside the theatre at 7 then. No tracksuits or jeans tonight, mind. We are sophisticated theatregoers!**

**+If you say so!**

**-Oh, I do. x**

Serena smiles at her phone and gets too excited by the fact that she received a kiss at the end of her last text.

\---

6:57pm  
_Maybe I've dressed up too much? I mean it's not exactly like we're going to Buckingham Palace is it? But she implied that I should dress sophisticated?_

6:58pm  
_I should go home and change. Nope, no time for that. I guess I could do up my jacket? No, I'd end up looking like an Eskimo._  
  
Serena smoothed down her long black dress and fiddled with her blue teardrop earrings, waiting anxiously.

6:59pm  
_There she is._

Through the crowd of people, she could see Bernie Wolfe approaching her, half lit by the streetlights surrounding the theatre. And God was it a sight.

Berenice Wolfe was dressed in slim black trousers, a black blazer, and a crisp white blouse, with an undone black bow tie draped around her neck.

"Good evening Serena." Bernie took hold of Serena's hand, brought it to her lips, and softly kissed her knuckles.

Serena made eye contact with Bernie as she let go of her hand. "Good evening Bernie."

"Shall we?"

"Indeed." Serena smiled.

Bernie linked her arm with Serena's as they ventured inside the venue.

\---

"You. Are. Joking."

"Is there a problem with sitting in the front row, Serena?"

"What if they squirt us with water guns? I'll have you know it took me long enough to style this mop thank you!"

Bernie let out a bark of laughter. "I'm sure we'll be just fine."

They took their seats and it wasn't long before the lights were dimmed and the curtain rose.

The performance was impressive; the choreography was entertaining, and the singing was surprisingly professional.

The actor who was playing the role of Buttons, Cinderella's faithful friend, came towards the front of the stage, which was made to look like a dark, creepy forest.

"Oh no boys and girls! I am all alone and I am sure this forest is haunted! What if there's... a... a ghost?!"

An actor covered in a white sheet ran across the stage behind Buttons and started to edge closer to him.

"It's behind you!" Shouted the majority of the audience, including Bernie, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the performance.

Serena looked at Bernie who had a clear smile on her face, it looked as if she had lost thirty years with how excited she was.

\---

The lights came up during the interval and some of the audience started to leave their seats to stretch their legs and buy ice cream.

"I'm just going to nip to the toilet. I won't be long." Bernie left her seat and made her way to the toilets.

When she pulled her phone from her pocket, she saw that she had two texts and a missed call from Cameron. There were ten minutes until the pantomime resumed, so she decided to ring him back.

"Cameron?"

"Hi Mum. How's the date?"

Bernie sighed "Cam, you know it's just an... evening out."

"Yes, and Hitler accidentally invaded Poland."

"Cameron!"

"What?!"

"The pantomime is good, great in fact."

"And Serena?"

"Is... nice."

"Nice?"

"Beautiful." Bernie could almost hear Cameron smiling through the phone. "Right I'm going now!"

"Enjoy the rest!"

"I'm sure I will enjoy her... it! I mean it!"

Bernie hung up and made her way back to the auditorium just in time for the lights to go down.

\---

The second half was just as entertaining as the first, and the performance had almost come to an end. The majority of the cast were getting changed into their costumes for the finale where the audience would applaud, however Buttons was on stage doing shout outs for kids who had a birthday that day so that the cast had enough time to get changed.

"Our story has nearly come to an end, and as we just saw, the glass slipper fitted Cinderella's foot perfectly - it was true love! But what I want to know is, who else has been struck with cupid's arrow? Yes, I am looking for a volunteer in the audience!"

Serena's eyes went wide. _No no no no no, not me, definitely not me. God why did Bernie pick front row seats?_

"Ah ha! I think I have found just the person!" Buttons walked down the stairs at the side of the stage and directly towards Serena. "And what is your name?" Buttons stretched out his arm and held a microphone in front of Serena's mouth.

"S... Serena."

"No need to be nervous! Let's give Serena a round of applause as she makes her way onto the stage!"

The audience clapped and cheered as Serena edged past Bernie, who shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

"So Serena, we all know that Cinderella lives happily ever after with Prince Charming, but I think we need to find you a prince too! Is there a lucky man in your life?"

"Well..." Serena looked into the audience directly at Bernie then back to Buttons.

"Oh! I apologise, I see your Princess Charming is in the audience herself! Do you think she should come up here too, boys and girls?"

A loud 'yes' filled the theatre, and now it was Bernie's turn to be nervous.

Bernie slowly climbed the steps and looked at the audience - there were easily 700, if not 800 people watching.

"What is your name, Princess Charming?"

She looked back to Buttons. "Bernie."

"Fantastic! So Serena, if you could sit on this chair and remove one of your shoes. And Bernie can you reach into that box and bring what's in it over here."

Serena's and Bernie's eyes met and they smiled, not quite believing what was happening at that moment. It was definitely going to make a good story back on AAU.

Bernie pulled a glass slipper out of the box and walked back to the centre of the stage.

"Now Bernie, down on one knee just as our Prince Charming did earlier!"

Bernie obeyed his orders and reached out her left hand to hold Serena's foot. She brought the slipper closer and gently slid it on. She looked up at Serena who looked as nervous as herself, but then smiled and whispered; "It fits."

"It fits, boys and girls! True love wins again!"

Serena, although looking incredibly red at this point, managed a smile and even let out a small laugh.

"Thank you for taking part you two! Here are some goody bags for being such great participants!"

Bernie and Serena accepted their gifts (after Serena had resumed normal footwear), and shuffled back to their seats to enjoy the last song.

\---

The air outside was cold since it was now past ten, and the two women still had smiles on their faces. A few people had smiled at them walking past, realising that they were the stars of the show tonight.

They reached the car park and were aware that they now had to go their separate ways since they both drove themselves to the venue.

"Well, that was quite a performance!" said Serena.

"Oh it was, although I'm getting the feeling that the last part of the show wasn't such an act..." Bernie said cautiously, unsure whether she was crossing a line.

Serena looked up into Bernie's eyes and felt herself being taken in by them.

"Maybe... maybe not." Serena stepped closer to Bernie, personal space completely vanquished. "You tell me, Princess Charming."

With a smirk, and a glance at Bernie's lips, she knew what she wanted. But Bernie was the one to smile and close the gap, softly pressing her lips against Serena's and placing her hands on the small of her back.

And just like the fairytale, they had found their happily ever after.


End file.
